Well... granted I often end up a sucker for anime that either has harem, a slight bit of perversity, or just one with a big dose of weirdness involved, it doesn't surprise me that, despite how backed up I am in anime to watch, I would come across Demon King Daimao at some point. Granted, it was on the list to look into, ever since seeing a trailer for it at Otakon a while back. After spotting this via Netflix, I checked it out and... I initially had no witty response to it. But let's get into what this is about.
Let's see... picture yourself as a transfer student who found himself as a new entry in a school dealing with magic. Now then, if you were this person, you'd probably have some idea who you desire to be in the future. Okay, now imagine that idea of yours is in your head, only for those dreams to be crushed by the prediction that you're to be the Demon King. for Akuto Sai, this is his reality, regardless of how much he wishes to refute this, and he has to deal with all the undesired attention and rumors that a mere crow (albeit magical) sparked when he made such a claim. Between people giving him Hell (no pun intended) about his predicted future, as well as girls surrounding him with perversity swords and what not, his simple school life is officially anything but that: simple.
Licensed under Sentai Filmworks, it's original run began and concluded in 2010 with merely 12 episodes. It is in English language, so naturally, there are hard copy DVDs and Blu-Rays of this, and as I stated before, found via Netflix as well. While it has action and fantasy, it is also a romantic comedy and harem (which I seem to be a sucker for), and with ample perverse moments involved. With the way it ended, it doesn't quite suggest a season two, but who knows. It's small, but there is a window of opportunity should they bother falling back on it. The boy-turned-Demonic King is voiced by Chris Patton, who is a name seen in quite a few works.
I could go on to talk about this, but at the very least, I will say that unlike some titles (eyeing Magikano), at least the plot is picked up from the initial episodes, and despite that it took a while to get serious, they didn't stray from the focal point in a sense. The part that rattles me is that, obviously, its length. I feel that so much more could be involved in this, but at least unlike the previously mentioned title, it doesn't quite have the whole "Screw You!" ending in which the plot does a complete reset. Nah, compared to that, to me it's favorable, yet leaves a bit to be desired. I'll call it a 7 of 10 as a general score, and hope that this, as well as my new fave Highschool DXD, see some extra episodes attached. Time will tell, right?
2013/06/28
2013/06/27
Vlogger is now active!!
Seiko here! As the title says, the Vlogger is go, and the first entry is already posted. Here's the link to it, watch, comment, and keep in mind your etiquette:
The Wolfe Vlogger: wvlogger.blogspot.com
The Wolfe Vlogger: wvlogger.blogspot.com
2013/05/24
CCXX: "Squid Girl"
A title similar to my last post in terms of plot, Squid Girl, aka Shinryaku! Ika Musume is one that's more down to earth, and thankfully shorter. I never thought I'd see this title so soon, but the internet just keeps throwing the title in my face (in various ways, at that.) I might as well get started on this.
The title character is, of course, Squid Girl, a sea emissary who plotted to invade Earth as the denizen's consequence for the pollution of the sea. And yet, after busting a hole in the wall of the Lemon Beach House (a restaurant owned by the Aizawa sisters Eko and Chizuru), she ends up serving the very humans she wanted to conquer. However, it's not as depressing as it initially sounds, as she meets curious characters, learns things on the surface, and eat loads of shrimp! Will she ever invade the planet?
Unlike Sgt. Frog, Squid Girl isn't perceived as an alien, and while she looks close to human, she actually features and uses traits you would find in squids, well... various squids. The title in question is a slice of life comedy, and having seen stuff of this genre, it's a breath of fresh air to see a type that's actually humorous a little. Squid Girl has 2 seasons that are 13 episodes a piece, with an OVA released August of last year, and another debuting overseas in 2 weeks. Media Blasters licensed this title for the US release, so it has been dubbed, at least Season 1 has, which I found via Netflix. The cast this times feature mostly names I never heard of before, though Christina Vee has a role in here. Christine Marie Cabanos voices the lead character, and I remember hearing her before in Rozen Maiden Overture.
Initially, I couldn't make heads or tails of this, but as it progressed (yes, I still hung in there), I started to come to terms with it a bit more. And it's definitely a bit more upbeat, compared to normal slice of life titles, and a huge plus over the dramatic ones. An interesting thing to note here: in the raw/subbed versions, she stresses the ika term and usually ends her sentences with de geso. In the dub, these are dropped, being replaced by dialogue with squid-based puns. What charms me about the latter is that some of the puns are positioned in a way that it can be considered unintentionally censored.
Squid Girl was as... redundant, but a bit more bearable, so I'll file it as a 7 of 10. I never thought I'd get around to completing this, but I tried, and did. On to the next, as they say...
The title character is, of course, Squid Girl, a sea emissary who plotted to invade Earth as the denizen's consequence for the pollution of the sea. And yet, after busting a hole in the wall of the Lemon Beach House (a restaurant owned by the Aizawa sisters Eko and Chizuru), she ends up serving the very humans she wanted to conquer. However, it's not as depressing as it initially sounds, as she meets curious characters, learns things on the surface, and eat loads of shrimp! Will she ever invade the planet?
Unlike Sgt. Frog, Squid Girl isn't perceived as an alien, and while she looks close to human, she actually features and uses traits you would find in squids, well... various squids. The title in question is a slice of life comedy, and having seen stuff of this genre, it's a breath of fresh air to see a type that's actually humorous a little. Squid Girl has 2 seasons that are 13 episodes a piece, with an OVA released August of last year, and another debuting overseas in 2 weeks. Media Blasters licensed this title for the US release, so it has been dubbed, at least Season 1 has, which I found via Netflix. The cast this times feature mostly names I never heard of before, though Christina Vee has a role in here. Christine Marie Cabanos voices the lead character, and I remember hearing her before in Rozen Maiden Overture.
Initially, I couldn't make heads or tails of this, but as it progressed (yes, I still hung in there), I started to come to terms with it a bit more. And it's definitely a bit more upbeat, compared to normal slice of life titles, and a huge plus over the dramatic ones. An interesting thing to note here: in the raw/subbed versions, she stresses the ika term and usually ends her sentences with de geso. In the dub, these are dropped, being replaced by dialogue with squid-based puns. What charms me about the latter is that some of the puns are positioned in a way that it can be considered unintentionally censored.
Squid Girl was as... redundant, but a bit more bearable, so I'll file it as a 7 of 10. I never thought I'd get around to completing this, but I tried, and did. On to the next, as they say...
CCXIX: "Sgt. Frog"
Sgt. Frog... where do I begin with this? Ever deal with anime that deals with a strange being that plots to take over your world, only to live there and do anything but that? On record, there are two titles like this I have seen, one of which I'm still viewing, so I might as well cover this one since I'm done with it.
Sgt. Frog (Sergeant, in case you're not familiar with the abbreviation), also titled Keroro Gunso, is an anime involving an alien race of frog-like beings, who attempt to conquer Earth, only to mess up in comedic outcomes. The leader of this platoon is the point character Keroro, the platoon's Sergeant. While initially successful in missions prior to this, his arrival to Earth more or less changed him. Long story short, he shifted more towards otaku interest as opposed to his original task. Moreover, he ends up residing in the Hinata residence, whose members include the nerd Fuyuki, the brash Natsumi, and the house head Aki. And even with his squad there, something tells me it'll be a while before he completes his goal...
Sgt. Frog is a title that has an absurdly large episode count and a batch of films under its belt. I can't recall how many of them were dubbed, but it has in this phase 358 episodes that began in April of 2004, with talk of its return. The film count is Super Movie Keroro Gunso 5, which is the latest entry that dates back to 2010, and neither of the films are dubbed. In terms of studios, Sunrise was more or less all over this. The episodes that DID come stateside were licensed under Funimation, something I felt would happen. But as I stated, there is talk of its return, and what hardens this statement a bit is that the manga for it is still ongoing.
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of it, and in some ways, I still don't. Even when entertained with pop culture references (especially that of different anime titles), and the occasional 4th wall humor, I still couldn't bring myself to thoroughly enjoy it yet. It is a sci-fi- comedy with action involved, but a tad too long for my tastes, which is funny considering I still keep tabs on Detective Conan.
Well, I'll update this when I decide to come back to it, but for now, I'll call it a 6 of 10. It doesn't necessarily suck, but it wasn't all that interesting to me either...
Sgt. Frog (Sergeant, in case you're not familiar with the abbreviation), also titled Keroro Gunso, is an anime involving an alien race of frog-like beings, who attempt to conquer Earth, only to mess up in comedic outcomes. The leader of this platoon is the point character Keroro, the platoon's Sergeant. While initially successful in missions prior to this, his arrival to Earth more or less changed him. Long story short, he shifted more towards otaku interest as opposed to his original task. Moreover, he ends up residing in the Hinata residence, whose members include the nerd Fuyuki, the brash Natsumi, and the house head Aki. And even with his squad there, something tells me it'll be a while before he completes his goal...
Sgt. Frog is a title that has an absurdly large episode count and a batch of films under its belt. I can't recall how many of them were dubbed, but it has in this phase 358 episodes that began in April of 2004, with talk of its return. The film count is Super Movie Keroro Gunso 5, which is the latest entry that dates back to 2010, and neither of the films are dubbed. In terms of studios, Sunrise was more or less all over this. The episodes that DID come stateside were licensed under Funimation, something I felt would happen. But as I stated, there is talk of its return, and what hardens this statement a bit is that the manga for it is still ongoing.
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of it, and in some ways, I still don't. Even when entertained with pop culture references (especially that of different anime titles), and the occasional 4th wall humor, I still couldn't bring myself to thoroughly enjoy it yet. It is a sci-fi- comedy with action involved, but a tad too long for my tastes, which is funny considering I still keep tabs on Detective Conan.
Well, I'll update this when I decide to come back to it, but for now, I'll call it a 6 of 10. It doesn't necessarily suck, but it wasn't all that interesting to me either...
2013/04/23
Ev15-16: Matsuri and the Awesome-ness
Yo, Seiko here, and man, am I ever lingering with excitement. Two weeks have gone for me and I found myself at a street festival and a convention. It left me mentally drained, but lucky for me, these were local events, so let's cut the crap and get to them.
Event 15: Sakura Matsuri 2013: Despite the destruction of my young smartphone, going to Sakura Matsuri in DC was nothing short of amazing. Once again donning the ponytail Malachite, I ment with Melissa's crew again, and saw my favorite Jpop idol Reni Mimura perform. I helped out with one of the staff from Katsucon in regards to the table for it. I even saw a few buddies from my days of the Art Institute of Washington at this event. The key highlight to me that weekend was playing Arcana Heart 3 and Gundam Extreme Versus, both of which I'll review in due time. I also went to varuous memorials where the cosplay fun didn't end. All in all, bad start, but a great night.
Event 16: Awesome Con DC: For a first time in DC, Awesome Con made quite the stellar debut. When I heard gaming, I wasn't expecting tabletop gaming, which is something I don't involve myself with much. What's more I saw some MORE AiW buddies there, so big shoutout to them. I also met a cool blogger who not only cosplayed, but also won the group contest by cosplaying a title I never expected to see so soon: Bioshock Infinite. I also met a few FB Friends there, met DJ Asu, and other familiar faces, and even met Theodus Crane from AMC's The Walking Dead, which I truly felt was an HONOR! In a nut shell, Awesome Coin DC was nothing short of AWESOME! I really look forward to next year's con.
In short, it was quite the past 2 weekends. Shame I couldn't get photos of it to show you. Maybe next go rount, I'll take plentyof shots, but if you're a comic book/ tabletop fanatic, check it out. I promise you'll have a good time. But for now, that's it for me! Seiko out!
Event 15: Sakura Matsuri 2013: Despite the destruction of my young smartphone, going to Sakura Matsuri in DC was nothing short of amazing. Once again donning the ponytail Malachite, I ment with Melissa's crew again, and saw my favorite Jpop idol Reni Mimura perform. I helped out with one of the staff from Katsucon in regards to the table for it. I even saw a few buddies from my days of the Art Institute of Washington at this event. The key highlight to me that weekend was playing Arcana Heart 3 and Gundam Extreme Versus, both of which I'll review in due time. I also went to varuous memorials where the cosplay fun didn't end. All in all, bad start, but a great night.
Event 16: Awesome Con DC: For a first time in DC, Awesome Con made quite the stellar debut. When I heard gaming, I wasn't expecting tabletop gaming, which is something I don't involve myself with much. What's more I saw some MORE AiW buddies there, so big shoutout to them. I also met a cool blogger who not only cosplayed, but also won the group contest by cosplaying a title I never expected to see so soon: Bioshock Infinite. I also met a few FB Friends there, met DJ Asu, and other familiar faces, and even met Theodus Crane from AMC's The Walking Dead, which I truly felt was an HONOR! In a nut shell, Awesome Coin DC was nothing short of AWESOME! I really look forward to next year's con.
In short, it was quite the past 2 weekends. Shame I couldn't get photos of it to show you. Maybe next go rount, I'll take plentyof shots, but if you're a comic book/ tabletop fanatic, check it out. I promise you'll have a good time. But for now, that's it for me! Seiko out!
2013/02/26
CCXVIII: "Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-Chan"
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-Chan is a title I head scratched about for the longest, mainly due to what happens in this one. I watched this prior to the start of my blogging, so this is coming out of me rather late, but hey, it's better than never, right?
Okay, on to the... plot. This title is centered around a boy named Sakura Kusakabe (yes people, this is a boy named Sakura...), who in 20 years supposedly force all women to cease aging. His reason... (I cannot believe this....) was to create a Pedophile's World (...<FACEPALM!!> And yes, before grilling me over these facts, check it out yourself. I swear I am not pulling anyone's leg here!!) In response to this, the killer angel Dokuro Mitsukai was dispatched to eliminate him, since the God was offended, due to the possible outcome of him discovering immortality. However, seeing hope in him being redeemed, she shifts to making sure the thought never corsses his mind by keeping him occuped as opposed to killing him outright. However... because of what she is, this ends up happening regardless in a bloody mess, though this is usually rectified my immediate resurrection. Despite her stance, the Rurutie order will stop at nothing to see Sakura dead. Will they succeed in their assassination, or will Dokuro keep him alive and surpress the forbidden thought... without killing him herself?
This title saw 2 anime sessions, each lasting very short, with 2 episodes paired into one. The first series is 2 episodes made into 4 sets, with the follow up, Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan 2, having 2 episode into 2 sets. I just found put that it is dubbed, regardless, it's licensing was done by AnimeWorks as a whole. Not sure if they still do, but this title was released for consumer purchase in the form of DVDs. The first title ran its course in 2005, while the second ran briefly in 2007. Because of the many instances of Sakura getting killed (and immediately resurrected), it has been censored, though viewers could still seek it out with all its blood-splattering glory. Johnny Yong Bosch, who did roles like Adam of Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and voiced characters like Bleach's Ichigo Kurosaki, voiced Sakura. Dokuro is voiced by Wendee Lee, who is known for a wide range of anime roles, such as Haruhi Suzumiya from the anime of the title The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, as well as Sonia Strumm from the Megaman Star Force anime, in the few episodes that were dubbed here.
For a dark humor title, the blood is a bit much, but I don't mind it. I give it just shy of 7 of 10, like a 6.9, due to not only the title's shortness, but also in part to the frequent, albeit hilarious, moments of Sakura getting killed. I'll leave it at this until I see the dubbed episodes.
Okay, on to the... plot. This title is centered around a boy named Sakura Kusakabe (yes people, this is a boy named Sakura...), who in 20 years supposedly force all women to cease aging. His reason... (I cannot believe this....) was to create a Pedophile's World (...<FACEPALM!!> And yes, before grilling me over these facts, check it out yourself. I swear I am not pulling anyone's leg here!!) In response to this, the killer angel Dokuro Mitsukai was dispatched to eliminate him, since the God was offended, due to the possible outcome of him discovering immortality. However, seeing hope in him being redeemed, she shifts to making sure the thought never corsses his mind by keeping him occuped as opposed to killing him outright. However... because of what she is, this ends up happening regardless in a bloody mess, though this is usually rectified my immediate resurrection. Despite her stance, the Rurutie order will stop at nothing to see Sakura dead. Will they succeed in their assassination, or will Dokuro keep him alive and surpress the forbidden thought... without killing him herself?
This title saw 2 anime sessions, each lasting very short, with 2 episodes paired into one. The first series is 2 episodes made into 4 sets, with the follow up, Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan 2, having 2 episode into 2 sets. I just found put that it is dubbed, regardless, it's licensing was done by AnimeWorks as a whole. Not sure if they still do, but this title was released for consumer purchase in the form of DVDs. The first title ran its course in 2005, while the second ran briefly in 2007. Because of the many instances of Sakura getting killed (and immediately resurrected), it has been censored, though viewers could still seek it out with all its blood-splattering glory. Johnny Yong Bosch, who did roles like Adam of Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and voiced characters like Bleach's Ichigo Kurosaki, voiced Sakura. Dokuro is voiced by Wendee Lee, who is known for a wide range of anime roles, such as Haruhi Suzumiya from the anime of the title The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, as well as Sonia Strumm from the Megaman Star Force anime, in the few episodes that were dubbed here.
For a dark humor title, the blood is a bit much, but I don't mind it. I give it just shy of 7 of 10, like a 6.9, due to not only the title's shortness, but also in part to the frequent, albeit hilarious, moments of Sakura getting killed. I'll leave it at this until I see the dubbed episodes.
2013/02/08
CCXVII: "To Love-Ru Darkness"
A long while back, one of my first 10 entries was a joint review between To Love-Ru and Black Cat. To Love-Ru Darkness is the sequel to another title of the series, so this review is kind of out of place, but I'll deal with Motto To Love-Ru at some point, I'm sure. Alongside an OVA, this title is adapted from an ongoing manga of the same title, which succeeds the original manga. As with the others, it deals with zany ecchi moments, alien beings, and mayhem aplenty, with more characters added to the regular cast.
It has been a while since Rito Yuuki came in contact with Princess Lala Satalin Deviluke. After a marriage that eventually threatened the world, Lala, alongside her sisters Momo and Nana, adjusted to life on earth, living with Rito and his mature, younger sister Mikan. Just as well, other beings like the living weapon Yami/Golden Darkness, also reside on the planet. Of course, peaceful times are threatened once more with the appearance of Mea, a being similar to Yami. On top of having his life at harm's risk, it complicates things with Momo and her plan to make Rito a harem king. As the one centered in another mess, Rito has to put up with life while being targeted in a 3-way struggle: involving Mea, Yami and Momo.
To Love-Ru Darkness, in addition to a pair of OVAs, have the count of 12 episodes, so like it's preceding titles, short. Not dubbed in English, it was made in Studio Xebec, with Sentai Filmworks behind licensing. It was made, and had it's run end last year, though as with halfr the titles I review, the manga has much more content. As there's no english voices, I can't provide any data in that department.
While there isn't THAT much of a difference from before, To Love-Ru Darkness has a bit more of my interest, gaining 8 of 10 from me. That's not to say that this is one of the better titles I have seen, but it is good, albeit a tad redundant.
It has been a while since Rito Yuuki came in contact with Princess Lala Satalin Deviluke. After a marriage that eventually threatened the world, Lala, alongside her sisters Momo and Nana, adjusted to life on earth, living with Rito and his mature, younger sister Mikan. Just as well, other beings like the living weapon Yami/Golden Darkness, also reside on the planet. Of course, peaceful times are threatened once more with the appearance of Mea, a being similar to Yami. On top of having his life at harm's risk, it complicates things with Momo and her plan to make Rito a harem king. As the one centered in another mess, Rito has to put up with life while being targeted in a 3-way struggle: involving Mea, Yami and Momo.
To Love-Ru Darkness, in addition to a pair of OVAs, have the count of 12 episodes, so like it's preceding titles, short. Not dubbed in English, it was made in Studio Xebec, with Sentai Filmworks behind licensing. It was made, and had it's run end last year, though as with halfr the titles I review, the manga has much more content. As there's no english voices, I can't provide any data in that department.
While there isn't THAT much of a difference from before, To Love-Ru Darkness has a bit more of my interest, gaining 8 of 10 from me. That's not to say that this is one of the better titles I have seen, but it is good, albeit a tad redundant.
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